moose(Alces alces), alcesthe largest member of the deer family , Cervidae (order Artiodactyla). Moose are striking in appearance due to their towering size, black colour, tall legs, pendulous muzzle, and dangling hairy dewlap (called a bell) and the immense, wide, flat antlers of old bulls. The name mooseis common in North America; the same animal is generally called elk in Europe. Moose are heavy, long-legged, short-necked ruminants, standing 1.5–2 m (5–6.5 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighing to approximately 820 kg (1,800 pounds). The back slopes downward to the hips, the tail is short, and the muzzle is somewhat inflated and pendulous. A fleshy dewlap (the bell) hangs from the throat. The brown coat is coarse and shaggy, becoming grizzled with age. The enormous antlers in the males (bulls) are characteristically palmate with projecting tines (see photograph). As in other members of the deer family, the antlers are shed and regrown annually. As they develop they are covered with a protective skin, called velvet, which is later rubbed off. (See also deer.)

Moose inhabit the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. They prefer being near water and often wade into forest-edged lakes and streams to feed on submerged aquatic plants. They also eat a variety of grasses, herbs, and bark. Usually solitary, moose in North America often assemble in small bands in winter and tramp the snow firm in a small area to form a “moose yard.” Their normal gait is a stiff-legged, shuffling walk that enables them to cover ground with surprising speed. They sometimes trot but seldom run. Moose are usually shy, but they tend to be unpredictable and belligerent. During the breeding season, in autumn, the males will fight fiercely for mates. One to three ungainly young are born after gestation of about eight months. The female cares for the calf until the birth of another is imminent.

Moose generally are hunted both for trophies—their huge antlers and head—as well as for their flesh, which is beeflike but somewhat dry and with strong-tasting fat. The pressure of unrestricted hunting substantially reduced the numbers of moose and virtually eliminated them from the southern parts of their range, especially in the United States. They are now generally protected by law, both in North America and in Europe, and hunting is closely controlled.

it is derived from the word moosh (“stripper and eater of bark”) in the Algonquian language of the Montagnais (Innu) Indians of Quebec, Can. In Europe, moose are called elk.

Moose inhabit the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. A European and west Siberian form and an American and east Siberian form can be distinguished by pelage and antler characteristics. The differences in regional body sizes reflect adjustment to local conditions and not the existence of genetically distinct subspecies. The largest moose specimens are found in Alaska and eastern Siberia; there bulls weigh 600 kg (1,300 pounds) and stand 2 metres (7 feet) at the shoulder. The smallest moose are found in its southernmost populations in Wyoming and Manchuria, where large bulls weigh 300–350 kg (660–770 pounds).

Moose primarily exploit plant communities of deciduous shrubs that have been disturbed by flooding, avalanches, or forest fires. They are avid visitors to mineral licks. In winter they may also avidly consume conifers such as fir and yew. In areas of very deep snow, moose may tramp a system of trails called a “moose yard.” In summer they may also consume large amounts of aquatic vegetation. The large, mobile, sensitive muzzle appears to be a specialized feeding organ that allows moose to exploit the large stocks of submerged aquatic vegetation in shallow lakes and streams. Moose may dive and stay up to 50 seconds underwater while feeding. Even calves are excellent swimmers.

Moose are bold and readily defend themselves against large carnivores. During calving season, moose cows face grizzly and black bears. In late winter when the snow is deep and moose cannot flee, they defend themselves against wolf packs. They choose hard, level ground with little snow for maneuverability, such as ridges blown free of snow or frozen lakes with a thin cover of snow. When hindered by deep snow, they back into dense conifers to protect their vulnerable inguinal region and lower haunches from attacks by wolves. They may then charge the wolves and attack them by slapping them with their front legs and kicking them with their hind legs. These blows are powerful enough to kill wolves.

Moose have killed humans. In Siberia, hunters armed with muzzle-loading guns feared wounded moose far more than they feared the large brown bear. Due to the thick skin on its head and neck and its dense skull, an attacking moose could not be readily stopped with a small, round rifle ball of soft lead.

Moose normally escape predators by trotting at high speed, which forces the pursuing smaller predators into expensive and tiring jumping but which costs a moose relatively little energy. It readily comes to bay but on its terms: it chooses low water where wolves are hampered in their movements. Although moose are excellent swimmers, it does not choose deeper water, because northern wolves have relatively large paws and so are also excellent swimmers. Predation by wolves and bears removes the infirm but may also severely deplete healthy calves, despite the spirited defense of their mothers.

Moose mate in September so that the calves may be born in June to take advantage of spring vegetation. The antlers are shed of the blood-engorged skin called velvet in late August, and the bulls are in rut by the first week of September. Rutting bulls search widely for females, but the bulls may also attract females with the smell of their urine. They paw rutting pits with their forelegs, urinate into them, and splash the urine-soaked muck onto their hairy bells. Cows in turn may call to attract bulls. Actively rutting bulls appear to receive more than 50 punctures per mating season, but they are protected by a thick skin on the front and the neck. Rutting is expensive, as bulls lose virtually all of their body fat and their festering wounds must heal.

Because of their large body size, moose have a long gestation period of about 230 days. Twins are not uncommon. The young are born tan in colour, which contrasts sharply with the dark colour of adults. They grow very fast but still require maternal protection against wolves in winter. They are driven off by their mother shortly before she gives birth again. The dispersed yearlings roam in search of new living space.

Young calf moose in human hands tame readily and emerge as surprisingly intelligent, mischievous, but utterly loyal creatures. As mounts and beasts of burden, moose are superior to horses in muskeg and taiga. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, moose became scarce owing to severe exploitation in unsettled times in Eurasia and to uncontrolled market hunting in North America. However, they responded readily to protection and management. Today moose are abundant in Eurasia and North America and are a cherished game animal. (The muzzle of the moose is considered a delicacy.) However, with the restoration of a predator fauna in North America, moose are again declining.